


Fork Me, Spoon Me

by stellamidnight



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Break Up, Episode Related, First Kiss, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-17
Packaged: 2018-01-21 12:37:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1550741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellamidnight/pseuds/stellamidnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a date with Catherine ends badly, Steve takes Danny to the same restaurant and has a much better time. This is a story about Steve figuring out what he wants and how to get it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Context and Memory

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set in Season 3 when Catherine is visiting while on leave. It’s directly related to the episode _“Kahu_ Guardian” (s03e11) and contains spoilers. I took the opening and closing scenes from that episode and wove them into a new story, but you don’t need to be familiar with that episode to read this.

_“Context and memory play powerful roles in all the truly great meals in one’s life.” –Anthony Bourdain_

Steve had been coming to the Rainbow Drive-In for as long as he could remember. When he was growing up his parents tried to make healthy meals at home, but at least once a month his dad would load the whole family into his beloved Mercury Marquis for a leisurely drive down the open highway to Rainbow Drive-In. The portions were huge, but Steve and Mary always bickered and tried to steal food from one another until their mom finally told them to cool it. Steve liked almost everything on the menu, but his all-time favorite was the BBQ pork lunch plate with creamy macaroni salad on the side. To Steve, the Rainbow Drive-In meant comfort food and home.

He dug into his breakfast plate with gusto, barely pausing for breath as he wolfed the food down. The crisp, almost brittle crust of the thick French toast gave way to a tender, soft-as-a-pillow interior. Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg lingered on his tongue after each bite. Instead of drizzling syrup on top, Steve liked to dip each bite into a little pool of maple syrup. People from the mainland might consider fried rice an unusual side dish for breakfast, but Steve found the salty, smoky flavors in the shoyu-based fried rice created the perfect contrast and kept the sweetness of the meal from becoming overpowering. Glancing to his right, he noticed Catherine frowning down at the plate in her lap, pushing her food around with her plastic fork but not really eating.

“Something on your mind?” Steve asked in a concerned tone. He knew it could take a while for visitors to warm up to the local cuisine. The first time he brought his partner here, Danny had balked at the idea of two eggs over easy served on top of fried rice, but it only took a few bites to convert him into a true believer. 

Catherine smiled gently, as if she was about to break bad news. “Okay, remember when you said we’d go someplace special before my leave ends?”

“Mmm-hmm. Yeah,” he grunted as he chewed. Catherine had asked him to make more of an effort to open up and share something of himself. Bringing her here had been his way of doing that.

Her long, dark hair was tucked back behind her ears, but a thick strand slipped free as she tilted her head to the side. “Well…was _this_ the special place that you had in mind?” 

“Yeah,” Steve answered happily, popping another tasty morsel of Portuguese sausage in his mouth. “Why?”

“No reason,” she answered with a quick smile, but her voice trailed off into a dejected sigh as she added, “No, it’s great. It’s…great.” 

Steve licked sweet and salty goodness off his fingers as he waited for her to speak her mind. He rarely allowed himself the luxury of consuming this many calories in one sitting, and he intended to enjoy every single one.

“Okay. I just wanted to make sure,” she added as she went back to half-heartedly poking at her meal with her fork.

“Well, obviously you had some other place in mind,” Steve pointed out, trying not to feel disappointed. He could accept that greasy, artery-clogging food at a drive-in wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but it bothered him a little that she seemed unwilling to give it a try. Even Danny, a self-appointed expert on everything that was wrong with Hawaiian cuisine, had been won over by the food here. 

Dropping her fork onto her untouched food, she turned toward him. “Okay, well, if you want me to be honest, I didn’t think we’d be eating breakfast out of a box in the parking lot.”

Steve glanced around at the familiar, worn-down parking lot that hadn’t changed much since he was a kid. “Well, I think you’re missing the big picture here,” Steve argued, waving his plastic fork around as he talked.

“Am I?” Catherine asked in a doubtful tone.

“Yeah, uh-huh. I mean, we’re alone, right? We’re alone in the car. And eating in the car is part of the whole retro drive-in experience. With a Polynesian twist, of course,” he added with a playful grin. He wisely didn’t mention what a sacrifice it was to come here alone. If Danny found out they went to Rainbow without him, there’d be hell to pay. His thoughts drifted for a moment as he wondered whether they should order a take-out box for Danny before they left.

“Mmm,” Catherine answered noncommittally as her beautiful, dark eyes narrowed. “Look, I love Rainbow. It’s great. All I’m saying is sometimes it’s nice to have…a table. And waiters. Maybe even a romantic setting. That’s all,” she shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, but her face wore an unhappy, pinched expression.

The morning went downhill from there. Steve argued that if picnics were romantic, then so was the drive-in. Catherine firmly maintained that the two experiences were very, very different. He offered to take her someplace else, but she declined. He asked if she was upset and she said no, but her stiff posture and untouched food told a different story. By the end of the conversation, they were both pouting silently and Steve had lost his appetite.

The original plan had been to spend the whole day together, but Steve was secretly relieved when Catherine made up an excuse and asked to be dropped off at a friend’s house. He filled a few lonely hours with laundry and other chores he’d put off during Catherine’s visit, but ended up feeling restless and bored. When he still hadn’t heard from her by late afternoon, he called Danny to make sure he was home before dropping by.

When he got to Danny’s place, he found him sitting on the couch watching an old movie. Danny had the strangest taste in movies and today’s sci-fi B-movie was no exception. Steve settled on the couch beside Danny without comment, having learned the hard way that talking during commercials was allowed; but talking over a movie, even one Danny had seen many times before, was rebuffed with angry ranting (and not the fun kind.)

Sure enough, they remained silent until the next commercial break. Steve quickly lost interest in the confusing plot and low budget special effects, but Danny seemed captivated. There was something appealing about the childlike fascination in Danny’s sky blue eyes as he watched the movie. His usual blond scruff looked darker in the low light of the room and a sudden impulse gripped Steve. He wanted to reach out and touch, to run his fingers over the prickly stubble along Danny’s chin. The jarring sounds of an obnoxious jingle alerted Steve to the start of the commercial break just as Danny turned his head to find Steve watching him instead of the TV. “So?” Danny asked, “What are you doing here? I thought you had plans with Catherine today.”

Steve sighed, sinking down in the couch and putting his feet up on the low coffee table. “We had a small...disagreement.”

“You had a fight,” Danny interpreted with a knowing smirk. 

“Kinda, I guess,” Steve shrugged. “I took her out for breakfast and she, uh, wasn’t a fan.”

“I keep telling you that the food on this crazy island makes no sense. I mean, pineapple on pizza? Who does that? And don’t even get me started on Hawaii’s unhealthy obsession with spam.”

Steve shook his head. “Nah, it wasn’t like that. It just a couple breakfast plates from Rainbow. Very tourist-friendly fare. I don’t—”

“Hold up,” Danny cut in quickly, holding up his hands. “Are you saying you cheated on me?”

Steve winced, immediately realizing his mistake. He never should have mentioned where they went.

Danny crossed his arms. “Are you saying that not only did you go to Rainbow without me, you took someone else in my place?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to eat breakfast without you, Danny,” Steve argued.

Danny shook his head disappointedly, as if Steve had wronged him deeply. “Not breakfast at Rainbow, you’re not. Let me explain this to you.”

“Please,” Steve invited, waving his hand to indicate that his partner had the floor. Steve felt his mood brightening as he settled in to watch.

Not one to disappoint, Danny launched into a fervent explanation accompanied by sweeping hand gestures. “Eating at Rainbow is a magical, transcendent experience. They serve unapologetically simple food that nourishes the soul. And you can’t just eat good food. You have to talk about it. And you gotta talk about it with someone who understands that kind of food. In that way, it’s…it’s like sex!”

“It’s like sex?” Steve repeated incredulously.

Danny ignored him. “It’s an intimate act to be savored and shared. You chose to share that wonderful, delicious food with me. Ergo, taking someone else there is basically cheating on me.”

Steve grinned at Danny’s ridiculous outrage. “Are you feeling sensitive right now?”

Danny pretended to ponder the question for a moment before answering. “Little bit, yeah.”

“Well, let’s go.”

Without further discussion, they turned off the TV and walked out the door. Within minutes, they were driving down the highway with the windows down and the radio cranked up. Danny spent the majority of the drive debating with himself what he should order. Steve was filled with a contented ease as he listened to Danny’s rambling. Glancing over at his partner, Steve couldn’t help thinking that this was how the morning was supposed to go.


	2. Soul and Body

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains references to the Aloha Girls in _“Huaka’l Kula_ Field Trip” (s03e10)

_“Food brings people together on many different levels. It's nourishment of the soul and body; it's truly love.” —Giada De Laurentiis_

Eating at Rainbow twice in the same day could probably cause a massive coronary, but today it was worth the risk. Danny theorized that having a favorite run-down, dive restaurant was like being a member of a secret club. He said there was something special about knowing the true value of a place that most people would pass by without a second glance. Rainbow was like that. Tourists didn’t even slow down to take a look unless a local had clued them in about Rainbow’s true worth.

Rainbow was located about a half mile from the beaches of Waikiki and many of the patrons were hungry surfers returning from a day on the waves. Daily specials were written on a white board and savvy customers paid attention because many items were only available on certain days of the week. There were a few picnic tables outside, but Steve preferred to sit in the car. “Should I leave you two alone?” he teased as Danny sat beside him moaning after every bite. 

“Tell me,” Danny prompted, waving his plastic fork in a beckoning gesture.

Steve rolled his eyes, but a pleased smile teased at the corners of his mouth. “You’ve heard it before.”

Danny sucked down a big gulp of soda before releasing the straw with a satisfied sigh. “I like hearing it. I like knowing that your life wasn’t all following orders and doing crazy SEAL stuff.”

Leaning back in his seat, Steve told him about long ago family outings to Rainbow Drive-In. He laughed about the time he accidently spilled a full plate in the backseat of the Mercury and the scary yet funny expression on his dad’s face as he struggled not to blow his top. He recounted the way his parents flirted with each other in the front seat while their kids sat behind them pretending not to notice.

He’d told those stories before. Still, Danny listened patiently, laughing in all the right spots and prompting him with questions to keep the stories flowing and tease out new details. Steve wove in more recent stories that featured Danny, like the one and only time Danny tried loco moco. Danny joined in, adding in his own commentary and asides. The late afternoon slipped away as they talked until by the time the finished, the sun had dropped down below the horizon. The bright colors of the sunset softened and faded away into the dim light of dusk.

“Thanks, Danny,” Steve sighed, feeling full and content. The dark interior of the car felt intimate, as if they were the only two people around.

Danny smiled fondly. “Don’t thank me, babe. I like seeing this side of you. The goofy teenager who spills food all over the backseat of his dad’s car and thinks it’s gross when his parents kiss in front of him. The guy who shovels food in his face like he’s worried someone might steal it away from him. I like that guy.” After a pause he added quietly, “I love that guy.” 

Steve ducked his head, embarrassed yet pleased by Danny’s words. Plenty of people had liked him in the role of highly trained soldier or high school quarterback before that. Danny was the only person he’d ever met who liked all the rough, unpolished sides of who he really was. There was something freeing about the way Danny saw all of him.

The tender moment was broken when Danny shoved his cardboard box full of used napkins and leftover food in Steve’s direction. “You’re closer to the trashcan,” he said gruffly.

Steve grumbled for show, but he didn’t really mind. Hopping out of the car and carrying their boxes over to the nearest trashcan gave Steve a chance to get some much needed space away from Danny. He always enjoyed spending time with him, but lately he’d started wondering if he enjoyed it more than he should. All day he’d been comparing Danny and Catherine in his head. Why was it so much easier to open up to Danny?

He decided the wisest course of action was to wrap up the evening and head home. Catherine had spent the day with her friend, but she’d be back at his place tonight. She might already be there waiting for him. He thought about calling her, but decided to put it off a little longer. He’d drop off Danny and be back home soon enough.

Steve climbed back into the driver’s seat and started up the car. As he pulled out onto the road, a refreshing breeze washed over the interior of the car and chased away the lingering scent of salt and grease. “I gotta find a way to make it up to Cath,” he commented as he drove them back to Danny’s place.

“Make what up?” Danny asked absently, watching the scenery go by.

“This morning,” Steve sighed. “I brought her to Rainbow for breakfast and obviously she didn’t like it. Now I have to make it up to her. You know, take her out to a nice restaurant or something.”

“You—hmm…” Danny started to say something only to cut himself off with a hum.

“Hmm?” Steve asked, mimicking the sound. “What does ‘hmm’ mean?” Steve asked.

“It means I should learn when to keep my mouth shut. Starting right now,” Danny answered firmly.

Steve was grateful when a red light gave him the opportunity to really turn and look at his partner. “C’mon, Danny. Don’t ever hold anything back or keep secrets from me. Not you, Danny,” he pleaded. “Not you.” He knew it must seem foolish to make such a big deal out of this, but he couldn't bring himself to care. This was too important to worry about how it looked.

Danny’s eyes softened and he reached out a hand to pat Steve’s arm. “Okay, babe. I get it. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Steve let out a relieved sigh as he turned his eyes back to the road. “So, spill. What’s on your mind?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve could see Danny fidget nervously. “I’m gonna say something. It’s just my point of view as an outsider observer. I fully recognize that I don’t know everything about you and Catherine. So you can ignore me, or tell me I’m wrong, or just tell me to go to hell.” 

“Okay, consider me warned. Now please, Danny. Tell me.”

Danny took a deep breath and let it out in a long, loud whoosh of air. “Okay, here goes nothing. It just seems to me that you and Catherine are stuck in this win/lose dynamic and you might want to change that.”

Steve’s wasn’t following. “We’re in a what?” 

“A win/lose dynamic. Look, it probably started as a game. When she does you a favor, you win. When you do something nice for her, she wins. Isn’t that pretty much how it works between you two?”

Steve shrugged, not seeing the problem. 

“And let me guess, so long as both of you score some wins then you feel like it’s even.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “I mean, I know she does a lot of favors for me but I try to make it up to her. What’s wrong with that?”

“Here’s the problem: If getting something you want is winning, then doing something nice for the person you love becomes losing. And you two _hate_ losing. Do you even hear how you talk about taking your girl out to dinner? You make it sound about as exciting as a trip to the dentist.” Danny held up his hand when Steve started to object. “I know, I know. You’re a good guy and you wanna do something special for your girl. That’s nice. All I’m saying is that you sound different when you talk about doing something nice for me or Grace.” 

Steve shook his head, not seeing the difference. 

“Look at how you acted on your first, and hopefully last, Aloha Girls camping trip. You were beyond excited to teach those little girls your bizarre idea of survival skills. You weren’t doing it out of a sense of obligation. You were just having fun. It was completely wacked-out insane, bordering on emotionally-scaring fun, but fun. You know, before all the kidnapping and shooting.”

Steve snorted at the ridiculous description.

“Oh, am I wrong? You planning to call up the Aloha Girls and call in a favor? Do they owe you an unlimited supply of cookies now?”

Steve frowned at the ludicrous idea of demanding anything from those brave little girls. “Not sure I’m seeing your point, Danny.”

Danny shrugged. “Probably for the best. You asked me to say my piece and I did. What, if anything, you think about it; that’s on you. Just remember to take any relationship advice I give with a grain of salt. I am far from an expert, as Rachel would be the first to tell you. She could spend three days telling you all the ways I am _not_ an expert on relationships.”

Steve frowned but didn’t argue. They fell silent, listening to the radio as Steve turned Danny’s words over in his mind. The faint light of dusk faded into night around them as he drove back to Danny’s place.

“So when are we going camping again?” Steve asked to break the silence.

“Never,” Danny answered firmly.

“So, what? Like in a couple weeks?” Steve asked, intentionally winding him up.

“Stop talking,” Danny ordered curtly.

“I know a great campsite. You have to book in advance, but it’s worth it. In the morning, you unzip your tent, walk ten steps and you’re gazing up at this amazing waterfall.”

Steve’s description was met with silence. He glanced over at Danny, who was tilting his head as if thinking over Steve’s words.

“You’re thinking about how much Grace would like that, aren’t you?” Steve grinned. 

“No,” Danny groused, crossing his arms. 

“Uh-huh,” Steve answered happily. “Leave all the details to me. I’ll set it up.”

But, of course, it couldn’t be that easy. They spent the rest of the drive arguing over the details. Steve grinned every time Danny set another parameter (no discussion of wild boar, no knife throwing) because all the restrictions meant Danny was seriously considering going. But as he pulled in and parked the car, Danny’s last demand threw him. “Describe our plans.”

“Um…we’re gonna go camping?”

“Why?”

“Because it’ll be fun?”

“What are you planning for Cath?”

“Dinner out. Nice restaurant. Wear a suit. Maybe even a tux. Yeah, she’ll like that.”

“Why?”

Steve spotted Danny’s trap just as he opened his mouth to answer. Because there were a lot of reasons— it would make Catherine happy, it would help smooth over their little fight, and it was a nice gesture before her leave ended. But fun wasn’t anywhere on the list.

Steve was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of the passenger door closing. Standing outside the car, Danny leaned down to talk through the open window. “Good night, Steve. And… good luck.”

Steve sat there long after Danny was safely inside before finally pulling away from the curb and driving home.


	3. Joy and Trust

_“Sharing our meals should be a joyful and a trustful act, rather than the cursory fulfillment of our social obligations.” – MFK Fisher_

Steve was half expecting another argument when he got home, but that didn’t happen. Catherine apologized for letting the disagreement get out of hand, he did the same, and they moved on without further discussion. He found himself both relieved and dissatisfied by how calmly they resolved the fight. He lay awake beside Catherine as she slept, thinking about how the same scene would have played out with Danny. After all, calm resolution and Danny didn’t go together. He imagined Danny pacing the floor and shouting, waving his hands in the air and talking over Steve until he finally ran out of breath. Thinking about Danny out of breath led to thinking of other activities that could leave Danny breathless. Steve firmly shut down that train of thought, rolled over and went to sleep.

The next couple of days were tied up in a kidnapping case that didn’t leave Steve much time to spend with Catherine, but it was worth it to see a father and son happily reunited. Before he knew it, her last day of leave had arrived. While Catherine and the rest of Five-0 headed over to Kamekona’s shrimp truck to celebrate the successful end of the case, Steve slipped away to put his plan in motion. 

As Steve put on his tux, he smiled at the thought of what Danny would say when he saw him wearing it. He could picture Danny so clearly, his face alight with merriment while laugh lines crinkled around his eyes. Danny had a way of smiling that made Steve feel giddy, like they were sharing a secret. As he paused to check his reflection in the mirror, he realized that once again his thoughts had turned from Catherine to Danny. But tonight wasn’t about Danny. The plan was to surprise Catherine with a romantic night out on the town. He figured he owed Catherine after everything she put up with during her visit. He was walking outside when Danny’s words from the other night popped into his head. Was it a mistake to think of tonight as something owed?

Shaking off the troubling thought, he climbed into his truck and drove over to pick up Catherine. On the drive, he turned Danny’s words over and over in his mind. He tried to think of the last time he planned a surprise for someone and realized it was for Danny. Although he was always proud of Grace, Danny had been dreading attending her dance recital because it meant sitting beside Rachel and Stan through hours of novice dancers performing for a crowd of biased relatives who all believed their little angel was the best. As he listened to Danny complain, he secretly decided to surprise Danny at the recital. When Steve asked if the seat beside him was taken, Danny looked up in surprise and his whole face lit up when he saw Steve. Danny had been very right about how tedious a dance recital could be, but it was worth it to put that look of surprised joy on Danny’s face. Grace’s own look of happy surprise when he congratulated her after the show was an added bonus.

Steve smiled at the fond memory as he parked. Hopping out of his truck, he slipped into his tux jacket and smoothed down the front before striding toward the picnic table where his team was gathered. He ignored the teasing comments from his team as he walked up to Catherine, but couldn’t resist a quick glance at Danny before refocusing on her.

“What are you doing?” she asked with a coy smile, her eyes dancing in delight.

Instead of answering, he gallantly held out his hand to help her up. Sweeping her up into his arms, he declared, “I’m taking you to dinner.” Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck and cupped the back of his head with one hand as she leaned in for a passionate kiss. His team clapped and cheered as he carried her off. 

“Bye, guys,” Catherine called out happily as he threw the group a little wave. In a quieter voice, she said to Steve, “I like this.”

“Yeah?” Steve asked as he cut through the parking lot. When he reached his truck, he carefully set her back down on the ground. They climbed into the truck and were soon on their way.

“So, what’s the plan?” Catherine asked excitedly.

“Well, I thought we’d go somewhere nice. You know, with a table. And waiters,” he teased, echoing her words from the other day. “Now, uh, please don’t take this as a criticism because I think you’re beautiful just the way you are…”

“But?” Catherine prompted.

“But…” Steve continued, “Would you like to swing by my place and change? Or should we just go straight to the restaurant?”

Catherine glanced down at her t-shirt and cut-off jean shorts. “Yeah, maybe I should change into something a little bit nicer,” she answered with a smile.

Despite the detour, they made it to the restaurant in time for their reservation. Steve held out a chair for his date, nodding politely when she thanked him. Catherine had changed into a sleek black dress that was cut tantalizingly low in the back. As they looked over the menu, she asked eagerly, “How did you find this place? Do you come here a lot?”

Steve frowned. He’d only been here once before because it wasn’t his kind of place. He knew how to dress up and act presentable when the occasion called for it, but he much preferred simple dining without a dress code. He glanced up from his menu to find her looking at him expectantly, awaiting a story about his connection to the place. “Uh, Governor Jameson invited me here once,” he admitted awkwardly.

Catherine’s smile faltered at the mention of the corrupt, now deceased governor. “Oh. That’s…um, interesting.” They studied their menu silently while waiting for their waiter. After several minutes, an elegant young man glided up to their table. He rattled off a long list of specials before taking their drink orders. Steve would have preferred a beer, but he ordered a bottle of champagne.

The awkward silence returned as they smiled at each other over their menus. Casting about for a topic of conversation, Steve said, “I may not have a connection to this place, but I wanted to tell you about the drive-in I took you to the other day. I’ve been going to Rainbow—”

“No, no,” Catherine waved her hand to stop him. “No apology necessary. Really. This,” she gestured toward their elegant surroundings, “more than makes up for it.”

Steve shifted in his chair. “Makes up for it?” he echoed.

Catherine beamed up at the waiter who had just returned to their table. Taking a sip of her champagne, she sighed happily, “Absolutely.”

Steve watched Catherine ask the waiter about the Chilean sea bass before placing her order. He should be happy. His plan to surprise her with a nice night out was clearly a success. But a voice in his head whispered, _If she wins, does that mean you lose?_ Sitting in an uncomfortable tux and ordering an overpriced dinner, Steve felt like a loser.

When the waiter left, Steve cleared his throat. “Cath, I think we need to talk.” 

**********************************************************************************

A low whistle of admiration announced Danny’s arrival at the restaurant. “Nice place,” Danny said as he dropped into Catherine’s empty chair. “So this is how the 1% lives,” Danny commented, looking around the room. Danny was still wearing the same blue oxford shirt and dark navy slacks he’d had on earlier. His broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist, while his strong back effortlessly maintained his good posture. Somehow, he managed to look equally at home in the posh restaurant as he had sitting next to Kamekona’s shrimp truck.

“Thanks for coming, Danny,” Steve said, already feeling a little better now that he was there. 

“No problem,” Danny grinned. “Couldn’t let you spend the evening washing dishes. Of course, how this happened to you again…”

Steve huffed in frustration. “I already told you. I had it earlier today, but I went home to change into this tux and I must have…”

“Left this sitting on your dresser,” Danny finished, tossing the wallet to Steve. When Steve realized his mistake, he’d been forced to call Danny and beg him to drive over to his house to get his wallet and bring it to the restaurant. Glancing around, Danny asked, “Where’s Cath? Treating your girl to a night out only to forget your wallet at home isn’t your best move, but I can’t see her getting mad enough to walk out on you.”

“No, she walked out before the bill came,” Steve admitted quietly.

Danny’s eyebrows climbed up in surprise. “Seriously? How do you strike out in a place like this?”

“I told her our relationship wasn’t working out. Told her I wanted to be just friends.”

Danny blew out a breath. “Yeah, that would do it.” Cocking his head to the side, he added, “I don’t get it. What was with the whole sweeping her off her feet routine if you were planning on dumping her? Talk about your mixed signals.”

Steve slumped down in his chair dejectedly. “Yeah. This wasn’t exactly how the evening was supposed to go. I wanted her last night on leave to end on a good note. I think…I think these feelings have been building up for a while now and tonight they sort of…came out.”

“What feelings are those?” Danny asked sympathetically.

“I want someone who cares about what makes me happy. I want someone who’s honest with me all the time, no matter what.” Steve leaned forward as the words spilled out of him, “I want someone I do things for out of love instead of out of obligation. I want…I want what I have with you, Danny.”

Danny’s blue eyes widened in surprise. “With me? What did I do?”

“Nothing. Everything.” Steve shook his head as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. “What we have together, the connection we have… It’s always been so strong, Danny. We can argue over almost anything, but there’s no one I trust like you. There’s no one I lean on like you. And there’s no one I love like you,” he finished earnestly, laying it all on the line.

“Love?” Danny whispered, leaning forward. “You mean… as a friend?”

Steve bit his lip anxiously. “I’d settle for that. But that’s not what I want.”

“What do you want?” Danny breathed softly, as if afraid to break the spell of this moment by speaking any louder.

He’d never given it much thought beyond unacknowledged fantasies late at night with the lights turned off. But now Steve knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted Danny.

“Wait. Don’t answer that,” Danny cut in urgently, before he had a chance to speak. “You literally just broke up with your girlfriend less than an hour ago. I think it’s safe to say any new relationship you started tonight would qualify as a rebound. Slow down and really think about what you want. If you decide you don’t want to start something with me after all…” Danny glanced down and his next words sounded hollow, “…I’ll understand.”

Steve felt off balance. They were closer than they’d ever been to slipping over the edge of friendship into something more. But he felt as if one wrong move could spoil everything before they’d even begun. “What if I do want to start something with you?” he asked urgently, reaching out for Danny’s hand.

“Take some time. Really think about it. And if you still want to…” Danny shrugged inelegantly, looking uncomfortable. But he held onto Steve’s hand and that gave Steve hope.


	4. Dessert and Dance

_"Dessert is like a feel-good song and the best ones make you dance." —Edward Lee_

Steve had never been good at waiting. He wanted to point out this obvious flaw in Danny’s ‘take some time’ plan, but assumed Danny would be less than sympathetic. He finally knew what he wanted and now he had to figure out how to get it. 

He began a slow campaign to win Danny, starting with breakfast. He made fresh brewed Kona coffee every morning, smooth yet flavorful with only a hint of bitterness. He was going broke buying pure Kona beans instead of a cheap blend, but Danny’s orgasmic moans of appreciation were worth it. He brought malasadas or cocoa puffs to the office every day, but after two solid weeks of morning treats the whole team was dropping hints about their rising cholesterol levels. 

He kept inviting Danny out for dinner and Danny kept declining. Until one day after work, Steve playfully suggested dinner as they walking out of the building toward the parking lot. Danny turned and snapped at him, “Quit it.”

“What? What am I doing?” Steve asked, feigning innocence. “I’m just—”

Danny rounded on him, frustration showing in every wave of his hands. “You’re doing the opposite of what you’re supposed to be doing which is taking some time to think! You’re supposed to be really thinking about what you want, not distracting yourself by chasing after me, dammit.” 

Lowering his voice, Danny stepped closer. “Look, Catherine was your safety net for a long time. You never had to own up to feeling depressed or lonely or frightened because, ‘Hey, you’re not alone. You’ve got Cath.’ And that story worked for you even when you hadn’t seen her in months. I get that. But now you have to deal with being on your own. So suck it up and deal. And stop with all the free food and dinner invites, Smooth Dog. Stop acting like the new story is ‘Hey, I’m scared to be alone but everything would be alright if I could just fuck Danny.’ Just please, stop. Please.”

Danny scoffed at that. “I’m not doing all this to fuck you. I don’t care about that.”

“Excuse me?” Danny challenged, raising his eyebrows.

“That came out wrong,” Steve huffed.

“Make it come out right,” Danny demanded, crossing his arms expectantly.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, of course I want to have sex with you.”

“Convince me.”

“I want to fuck you, Danny,” Steve pledged earnestly. “I want very badly to fuck you and be fucked by you in a variety of positions. I want to wrap my mouth around your cock and make you come.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chin and Kono exiting the building. Kono stopped in her tracks, wanting to hear more, but Chin politely feigned deafness as he propelled her forward. 

Steve hung his head with a sigh, mentally bracing himself for the amount of shit he would receive the next time he was alone with Kono. By the time he looked up again, Danny was walking away. That was sort of ridiculous since they’d carpooled together and Steve had the keys, but he wisely didn’t comment. Instead, he allowed himself a long moment to enjoy the tantalizing view of Danny’s backside before hurrying to catch up.

Later that same night, Catherine called. They hadn’t talked in weeks and it was good to hear from her. He had regrets about how he’d handled the breakup and was relieved she didn’t seem to hold a grudge. The conversation flowed easily, which was no surprise. Their relationship had been uncomplicated from the beginning. They never put any demands on each other and never asked hard questions. He could have that again. As they talked, he realized how easy it would be to slide back into what they used to have. “Hey, Cath?”

 _“Yeah, Steve?”_ she asked eagerly.

Steve paused for a long moment. Would it be so wrong? What they had was familiar and comfortable. But he wanted Danny and wasn’t willing to settle for anything less. Steve took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Thanks for calling. It’s good to hear your voice,” he said finally.

There was a long pause on the other end of the call. When Catherine finally answered, there was a resigned tone in her voice as she said goodbye. 

To avoid the temptation of calling his ex, Steve threw himself into planning a camping trip with Danny and Grace. He booked the campsite, organized all the gear, and purchased most of the supplies. Danny had insisted on contributing, so Steve gave him a smaller shopping list. The night before, he loaded everything into his truck and called Danny. “You ready for this Danno?” he taunted as soon as Danny answered.

 _“Oh, we’re very ready,”_ he answered. _“In fact, right now I’m learning how to make— What is this, Monkey?”_ There was a brief pause filled with whispering on the other end of the call. _“A campfire banana boat, which apparently is an Aloha Girls specialty.”_

Steve could feel a wide grin spreading across his face. “I know I’m probably gonna regret asking, but what’s a banana boat?”

Danny must have handed off the phone because suddenly Grace was on the line talking very fast. _“Hi, Uncle Steve. Don’t feel bad. Danno didn’t know how to make it either. You cut the banana the long way but don’t cut all the way through. Don’t take off the banana peel because that makes the boat. Then you fill the boat with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Oh! And I like to crumble up a graham cracker on top, but you don’t have to. And then you cook it over a fire. Wait, I mean you wrap it in foil and cook it over a fire. Then you open up the foil and everything’s all gooey and melty inside.”_

Steve blinked. “Wow! That sounds…uh, amazing.” 

Danny came back on the line, snorting a laugh. _“Very convincing,”_ he assured him in a dry tone. He added a bit of steel to his voice as he instructed, _“My daughter is going to create this monstrosity tomorrow. You will eat it and you will like it, Steven.”_

“Understood,” Steve promised. They chatted for a few more minutes, with random interjections from Grace, before hanging up. By the time the call ended, Steve knew he wasn’t getting back together with Catherine. Talking with her might be easy, but she couldn’t brighten his day the way Danny and Grace did. 

Steve knocked on their door early the next morning. Danny was freshly showered and dressed when he opened the door, but still looked deliciously sleepy and rumpled. Steve was struck by an urge to kiss Danny soundly and tumble him back into bed. He gave into the first half of the urge, leaning forward and kissing Danny for the first time. Danny returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around Steve’s waist. One kiss turned into several as they spent a long moment standing in the doorway, clinging to each other and making out like teenagers. Pulling away to take a breath, Steve teased, “Aren’t you worried about sharing a tent? What if we can’t control ourselves?”

Danny stepped away with a laugh. Instead of answering, he turned and hollered into the room behind him, “Uncle Steve is here!”

Two excited girls danced into the room and darted toward Steve. He bent down to receive hugs from Grace and her friend, Lucy. Steve and Danny would share one tent while the girls shared the other tent. Steve had known that while planning the trip, but the reality of the situation hadn’t hit him until now. He’d be sleeping right next to Danny, but there would be two little girls in the next tent able to hear everything they said and did. 

Steve enjoyed spending time with Danny and teaching the girls about camping. He was impressed by how much they already knew and had fun regaling them with stories of wilderness survival. He watched the girls for signs of stress, in case they weren’t ready for camping after their frightening ordeal in the woods, but they both seemed fine. He noticed Danny sit down beside Lucy and talk with her quietly, cupping his hand over the healed scar from a bullet wound as they spoke. When the conversation ended, Danny got up and wandered over to stand next to Steve. When he raised an eyebrow in question, Danny explained casually, “Oh, I was just commiserating with someone who knows what it’s like to spend time around you. Armed conflict has a way of following you wherever you go.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault?”

Danny stuffed his hands in his pocket as he nodded. “That’s the popular theory, yes.”

It was a good day but that night was torture. Steve’s mind was filled with all the things he’d like to do with Danny in the privacy of their tent if only the girls’ tent was a little further away. The two men were zipped up in separate sleeping bags, but crowded together on the same air mattress (a luxury Danny had insisted on) while two tween girls whispered and giggled in the next tent. Danny was stretched out on his side facing away from Steve, an unsubtle hint that he chose to ignore as he rolled over and scooted closer to Danny. “Are they ever going to go to sleep?” he whispered into Danny’s ear.

Danny turned his head to look over his shoulder at Steve. It was dark inside the tent, but Steve was close enough to see amusement dancing in Danny’s eyes as he answered, “After two helpings of banana boats? They may never sleep again.”

With a sigh, Steve pulled one arm out of his sleeping bag and wrapped it around Danny’s middle. Even with two sleeping bags separating them, it felt good to hold him in his arms. Danny relaxed against him with a soft, pleased hum as he let Steve spoon him. Danny’s hair was full of campfire smoke while his skin smelled of sweat and dirt after a long day of hiking. Steve pressed his face against the back of Danny’s neck and breathed in the earthy scents. The hand wrapped around Danny burrowed down beneath the sleeping bag and up under his shirt to caress the warm skin underneath. He longed to explore further, but with the girls nearby he didn’t dare. Despite the noise from the neighboring tent, the two men soon fell asleep curled up together.


	5. Cooking and Love

_"Cooking is like love: It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." —Harriet van Horne_

Steve enjoyed waking up with a peacefully sleeping Danny in his arms. A small leak in the air bed had deflated the mattress overnight, leaving their bodies flat on the cold, hard ground while all the remaining air had moved into the surrounding edges of the mattress. The plastic mattress creaked loudly when Steve shifted his weight and their odds of being able to do anything without being overheard by the girls were slim to none. Giving it up as a lost cause, he slipped out of the tent at first light.

At the end of a long day of hiking and exploring, they delivered two tired but happy girls to Rachel before heading back to Steve’s place. They were worn-out and covered in dirt, but Steve’s training demanded he carefully clean and stow the camping equipment away without delay. Danny seemed to understand, or perhaps he was too tired, but for once he helped without complaint. When the work was done, they headed inside.

Steve stared at the inside of his refrigerator while his stomach growled loudly. Uninspired by the meager contents of his fridge, he had no idea what to make for dinner. Turning to Danny, he suggested cereal or a protein shake. Danny rolled his eyes and pushed him into a chair before turning to explore the fridge and pantry. He hummed and muttered under his breath as he explored, pulling out random items and placing them on the counter. Finally satisfied with his pile of ingredients, Danny rolled up his sleeves and went to work. 

Steve was struck by the lack of artifice in Danny’s cooking. This wasn’t about showing off for a date. There were no exotic ingredients or flashy techniques. Danny was putting together a simple meal to feed a loved one, something he’d done countless times for Grace. They chatted easily while Danny chopped and stirred. Steve was impressed by Danny’s ability to pull together random ingredients in someone else’s kitchen and know what to do with them. It was more inventive and self-reliant than simply following a recipe. There was something appealing about a man with know-how in the physical world, whether he was fixing a car or making dinner. The ability to confidently work with his hands was an appealing trait. 

Danny slid a baking dish into the oven and closed the door before turning to Steve with a grin. “Thirty minutes to cook. How should we pass the time? You wanna play cards or what?” he joked.

Taking his cue, Steve crossed the room to crowd Danny up against the counter. Bending his head, he captured Danny’s lips in a kiss. “I’ve got a few ideas,” he answered with a leer.

Danny’s hands clutched at his Steve’s shirt even as he pulled back. His eyes softened to an open, vulnerable expression as he confessed, “I want this. This thing between us? I want it bad. And I know I’m an idiot because not only did I not have the guts to go after it, but I put up walls every time you tried. But you gotta understand; I don’t know how to do this halfway. I can’t be just a rebound or a fuck buddy. If we do this…”

Steve nodded, understanding his fears. They both valued their friendship too much to risk it for just a casual fling. “Have we ever done anything halfway, Danny?”

“No,” Danny answered, shaking his head with a rueful smile. “Never. We’ve done some incredibly stupid things, but we never did them halfway.”

Steve nodded firmly. “Okay, so… This is us, right?” Steve concluded with a shrug. It wasn’t the most eloquent pledge of devotion, but it seemed to work. He could feel Danny relax in his arms as he finally let down his defenses.

Steve leaned in for another kiss, which Danny returned before wriggling out of his grip and walking away. Bewildered, Steve watched him until Danny beckoned him with a wave of his hand. “Come on, babe. We haven’t showered in two days. And you need it,” he teased before darting out of the room.

“Me? You don’t smell like a bed of roses, you know,” Steve called after him as he followed.

Danny dashed up the stairs with a laugh and Steve happily chased after him. By the time he caught up to him, Danny had already started the shower and was tugging his shirt off over his head. Danny tossed the shirt aside and started unbuttoning his jeans while toeing out of his shoes. “Hurry up and get naked,” Danny commanded with an eager grin. “We’re wasting water.”

Steve felt a rush of giddy anticipation as he obeyed the command. He tugged off his clothes absently, keeping his eyes glued to Danny’s body as they undressed rapidly. Danny finished stripping first and turned to step into the shower. Steve groaned at the sight of Danny’s bare ass, made even more appealing by water cascading down his body.

Finally shucking off the last of his clothes, Steve followed him into the shower. He ran his hands over Danny’s body, reveling in the freedom to explore as Danny did the same. They traded kisses as they rubbed soap over each other’s bodies. Steve reached down to palm and squeeze Danny’s ass as he growled into Danny’s mouth, “This ass. You don't know, Danny. I have dreams about this hot as fuck ass.”

Danny pressed himself against Steve’s body, brushing his erection against Steve’s hip. “Oh, yeah? Maybe we should do something about that, huh?” he teased.

Danny turned off the water and together they stumbled out of the shower, dripping water all over the floor and tumbling down wet and naked onto the bed. 

By the time they made it back downstairs, dinner was dried out and burned on the bottom. Too hungry to give up on it completely, they stood at the counter digging into the baking dish with their forks to pick out the few edible bites from the charred remains. It was one of the best meals Steve ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! It took me a while to finish this fic, so I appreciate those who made it to the end!

**Author's Note:**

> Story title is shamelessly stolen from _Fork Me, Spoon Me: The Sensual Cookbook_ by Amy Reiley.


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